Facebook announces the Subscribe button

Facebook has been busy lately, yesterday they announced new ways to sort your friends lists and today they announced the new Subscribe button. Facebook users will now be able to subscribe to people who are not their friends,and see their updates in their news feed. This all sounds very similar to Twitter and following people, but there are a few very important differences.

The subscribe button allows you to receive updates from someone you aren’t exactly friends with, but are interested in what they have to say. So now you can subscribe to famous actors, athletes, and even your favorite Digital Trends bloggers even if they have no idea who you are. You have the option to allow people to subscribe to your posts or not, and you will be able to see who is subscribed to you, and how many subscribers you have.

Facebook is also quick to point out that just because someone is subscribed to see your updates doesn’t mean you have to let them see all your posts. Before posting anything on Facebook there will be a button that allows you to select who exactly will get to see what you are posting. You are able to select if your update will be made public, or only viewable to your friends. It seems as though this will also tie in with the new friends lists announced yesterday, so you can further decide which of your friends can see your update.

Another feature announced with the subscribe button is a way to filter the content you view from your current friends, or people you subscribe to. Are you tired of seeing endless Farmville requests from your younger sister, or the never ending parade of baby pictures posted by your Aunt Becky? You are now able to select what type of updates you see from your friends. For example you can tell Facebook to stop showing you location check-ins from your friends, or even limit the updates to just show you when someone’s relationship or employment status change and other important changes.

It is very refreshing to see that Facebook is actively trying to help users modify what information they see, and how they see it. With Facebook’s f8 conference just around the corner we are expecting to hear about a new music service, and who knows what else. Facebook clearly trying very hard to be a one stop shop for social media.